Antarctica is, without a doubt, one of the world’s most incredible places to visit. It’s absolutely beautiful and one place that feels so untouched and utterly beautiful to see. That being said, the whole Antarctic continent is colossal and, largely inhospitable (especially in the winter months). This makes it a very challenging environment to visit on a whim. Lots of planning, costs and, of course, time are needed to explore even just a slither of Antarctica.
This is where booking an Antarctic expedition cruise comes into play. Our expedition to Antarctica took quite a bit of planning and research. So, I wanted to share all the hows, wheres, and which that made our trip incredible.
Take a look below at the top things to know about booking an Antarctic expedition cruise. Oh, and have the best time. A trip to Antarctica is truly incredible.
Where do Antarctic expeditions start from?
Most Antarctic expedition cruises start from South America as this is, geographically at least, one of the easiest departure points. Two of the major embarkation ports are Ushuaia in Argentina and Punta Arenas in Chile. These two ports provide some of the quickest ways to reach Antarctica by boat.
That being said, you can also leave directly from New Zealand and Australia. These are great options if you’re already based in the Southern Hemisphere.
However, the crossing times are quite a bit longer than those from South America.
Where do Antarctic expeditions visit?
Each expedition cruise is always slightly different, even if they have ‘set routes’ determined when purchasing your ticket. You see, Antarctic weather can be turbulent. After all, it’s one of Earth’s driest, windiest, and coldest continents.
If you’re visiting from New Zealand or Australia, these might typically involve a trip through the Southern Sea towards the north-east of Gerlache Inlet. These tours can take a significant amount of extra time (about 3-4 weeks).
If you’re leaving from Ushuaia in Argentina and Punta Arenas in Chile, you will likely visit the Antarctic Peninsula. This is the ‘big arm’ that you see on a map, reaching near South America.
Visiting Antarctica on a cruise here will take you down the peninsular towards (and beyond) the Antarctic Circle. Typically, expeditions also include visits to the Antarctic South Shetland Islands and make continental landfall on the Antarctic Peninsula itself.
You’ll cross the Drake Passage (one of the roughest seas in the world), and the crossing will take around 2-3 days.
Is Ushuaia in Argentina worth visiting?
If you have free time after your Antarctic trip, I’d definitely tag on a few days or weeks to explore the wider country you’re embarking from.
We left for our Antarctic expedition from Ushuaia in Argentina, and we spent some time before (and after) our cruise exploring Ushsuia and the wider Patagonia region.
Now, Ushsuia is relatively small. It certainly has a few streets, a little history and a heap of yummy restaurants, but the biggest draw is the great outdoors. Give yourself at least one full day to explore Ushuaia before booking some tours to take you around the wider area. The scenery here is beautiful.
We ended up staying about four days in the area and loved it. Afterwards, we flew from Ushsuia to visit the best spots in Buenos Aires and travelled to wine country in Mendoza. It was delicious.
What companies organise Antarctic expeditions?
One of the hardest things we found when booking an Antarctic expedition cruise was deciding which company to go with. There are quite a few to choose from.
We knew we wanted to go on a ‘new ship’. However much we’d have joined a more ‘scientific-style’ vessel, we knew we wanted the creature comforts that come with expedition ships. We ended up booking with Albatros Expeditions and sailed on Ocean Victory. The ship was gorgeous, and the expedition team and staff on board were incredible.
We loved our Antarctic Crusie so much that we ended up rebooking one of Albatros Expeditions’ other ships, the Ocean Albatros, for this expedition to Greenland. It was that good! Oh, and in case you were wondering, visiting Greenland was absolutely mind-blowing. We loved it.
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Costs for an Antarctic expedition cruise
Let’s not beat around the bush; the cost of booking an Antarctic expedition cruise can be steep. Well, at least compared to other holidays and vacations, that can be at a fraction of the cost.
Now, regardless of budget, the good thing about booking an Antarctic expedition cruise is that there are many options to choose from. This way, you can cut back on things that matter least to you whilst prioritising things that matter most.
We opted for a ‘category b’ room on board Ocean Victory and this was on deck four. Specifically, we were assigned room 429. It was spacious, with a balcony and door that opened onto the deck. We loved it.
If you fancy keeping costs a little lower, then opt for a port window or a shared room where you can choose to bunk up with other avid explorers. This is a great way to travel, especially if you’re a solo traveller, as you’ll have an instant friendship group.
Besides the rooms, all aspects of the Antarctic expedition are the same. This means you can choose the cheapest room or the most lavish suite and still have the same access to the gym, restaurant, zodiacs and the expedition team that hold daily lectures onboard. I love that.
What to pack for an Antarctic expedition cruise
Okay, so there are a few things that you obviously have to take with you. Firstly, layers take heaps of layers as these can be very effective at trapping warm air between your body and the harsh environment outside. Obviously, take gloves, hats, goggles (we took sunglasses, which were fine) and waterproof pants. These are a must if you’re not wearing a full thermal body suit that some cruises will lend you onboard.
We didn’t take any boots with us as Albatros Expeditions provided these in their ‘mud room’. They use waterproof Muck boots that keep your toes nice and toasty.
Also, make sure to pack heaps of SPF for your face and hands. Specifically for skiing or at least an SPF 50. The Earth’s albedo effect will cause sun rays to hit your face from every angle as it reflects from the ice.
I also packed hand warmers and feet warmers but never really used these. Temperatures, although cold, didn’t feel too harsh, especially when the sun was out.
Oh, and don’t forget some snoods/face scarves. The wind can be intense in Antarctica. Plus, you will need a few as you’ll want to wear clean ones for future days. We used basic cotton ski snoods, and they worked just fine.
What regulations do I follow when visiting Antarctica?
One of the great things about booking an Antarctic expedition cruise is that you join a group of experts who know Antarctica extremely well. This means they will teach you all the ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts.’ once you board your expedition.
Of course, you can do research beforehand, but I’d recommend joining the daily lectures and recaps, which will teach you all you need to know. These involve vital knowledge on how to interact with the Antarctic environment and stay safe, as well as protocols once you land. These must all be strictly adhered to.
Read more: How to travel to Antarctica
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